Israeli director and International Film Festival of India (IFFI) jury chair Nadav Lapid, who gained notoriety for calling The Kashmir Files “vulgar propaganda,” has issued an apology. Days after making the remark, Nadav said his ‘aim was never to insult people or their relatives’.
On November 22, Nadav commented on The Kashmir Files at IFFI Goa. Vivek Agnihotri, the writer-director of The Kashmir Files, and the actors Anupam Kher and Pallavi Joshi criticised Nadav. Again, Nadav has emphasised that his criticism of the movie was limited to its “series of cinematic manipulations.”
Speaking with CNN-News18 on Wednesday, Nadav said, “I didn’t want to insult anyone, and my aim was never to insult people or their relatives, who have suffered. I totally totally totally apologize if that’s the way they interpreted.”
In addition, Nadav stated that his comments reflected the views of the entire jury as well.
“But at the same time, whatever I said and I said clearly that for me and my fellow jury members, it was and it is a vulgar propaganda movie that didn’t have a place and was inappropriate for such a prestigious competitive section. I can repeat it again and again,” he added.
“The Kashmir Files,” focuses on the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits during the early 1990s unrest. On November 22, it was shown at the festival as part of the Indian Panorama category.
The renowned director, who is well-known for his anti-establishment views, stated that neither his comments nor the tragedy was intended to address the current climate in Kashmir.
“I have enormous respect for the tragedy, victims, survivors and for whoever suffers there. It (my remarks) was not at all about this. I’ll repeat these words 10,000 times if I have to say that I was not talking about the political issue, historical equation, or disrespecting the tragedy that happened in Kashmir,” he said.
“I was talking about the movie and that such serious topics deserve, in my opinion, a serious film,” he added.
Additionally, Lapid denied assertions made by Sudipto Sen, a member of the IFFI international jury, who claimed that criticism regarding Agnihotri’s directorial was the Israeli director’s “personal opinion.”
“It wasn’t a personal opinion at all,” Lapid countered.
“We all thought that the movie used a series of manipulation, vulgar, and violence because it was supposed to transmit a message that can cause hostility, violence and hate in the environment,” he added.
‘Kashmir Files’ was released on March 11 this year. It is one of 2022’s biggest Hindi commercial successes. Anupam Kher, Darshan Kumar, Mithun Chakraborty, and Pallavi Joshi are among the actors who appear in The Kashmir Files. (ANI)
